

Francis Bacon, Novum Oraganum - The Idols Of The Theater - Sadler's Lectures
Jul 16, 2025
19:34
This lecture discusses key ideas from the early modern philosopher Francis Bacon's work Novum Organum, specifically the section in book 1 covering the "four idols of the human mind"
This episode focuses specifically on his description of the fourth type of idol, those of the theater, which derive from either entire philosophical systems, which Bacon likens to fictions and plays, or from perverted rules of demonstration, or from too exclusive of a focus on one aspect or element of a science. Bacon divides the three kinds of philosophies he criticizes into sophistic (exemplified by Aristotle), empiric, and superstitious or theological (exemplified by Plato).
You can find the copy of the text I am using for this sequence on Bacon's Novum Organum here - https://amzn.to/4jBcmui
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